Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility

Mobility Report Cards analyzes the role of U.S. colleges in enabling upward economic mobility by examining data from over 30 million students between 1999-2013. The study links parent and student income records to reveal which institutions serve as pathways out of poverty. The research ranks colleges based on both access (percentage of low-income students enrolled) and success rates (percentage of students who move up the income distribution). Results show that certain public universities, particularly mid-tier and technology-focused institutions, offer the strongest mobility outcomes. The findings reveal substantial variation in mobility rates across colleges, with factors like location, tuition costs, and institutional resources influencing these differences. Key data points include mobility rates, student demographics, and economic outcomes spanning multiple decades. The work raises central questions about higher education's capacity to create socioeconomic advancement and challenges assumptions about which types of institutions best serve this purpose.

This appears to be a research paper/report rather than a published book, so it does not have traditional reader reviews or ratings on sites like Goodreads or Amazon. The paper has been widely cited in academic literature and policy discussions. Key points from academic citations and policy discussions: - Provides data-driven analysis of how colleges affect income mobility - Clear methodology for measuring colleges' mobility outcomes - Useful rankings of colleges by mobility rates Critiques from academic responses: - Focus on income mobility overlooks other forms of social mobility - Data limited to students born 1980-1982 - Does not fully account for regional economic differences The paper is frequently referenced in education policy debates but does not have consumer reviews since it is an academic work rather than a commercial book. It has over 1,300 citations in Google Scholar, indicating significant academic impact.

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🎓 The study tracked 30 million college students in America, making it one of the largest analyses of higher education and economic mobility ever conducted. 💰 Mid-tier public institutions, including the City University of New York (CUNY) system, were found to be the most powerful engines of upward mobility—outperforming many elite private universities. 📊 The research revealed that some colleges, like Glendale Community College and Cal State LA, moved more than 32% of their students from the bottom fifth of income distribution to the top fifth. 🏫 Despite having similar academic outcomes, colleges vary widely in their mobility rates—for example, SUNY Stony Brook has a mobility rate three times higher than UC Berkeley. 📈 The study introduced a new metric called the "mobility rate," which combines a college's access (percentage of low-income students) with its success rate in moving these students up the economic ladder.